Chapter 325 The Sixth Prince's Arrangements Went Too Smoothly
As Granny Fang spoke, a look of guilt and unease appeared on her face.
"If I had known they were going to Tianxiang Tower and gone with them, this might not have happened."
Lianhua and Yuxiang were also my students. They were so young, married for less than two years, and I never expected this….”
Granny Fang's voice choked with emotion. She wiped her eyes and couldn't help but ask:
"Sir, did Steward Zhao really do it? She doesn't seem like that kind of person."
Chen Chu sighed, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. She has already admitted it herself."
Granny Fang's face paled slightly. After a long silence, she said softly:
"Besides Tianxianglou, Manager Zhao also has a house in Jixiang Hutong where her lover, Hu San, lives."
I've never met Hu San, but I've heard Manager Zhao mention him once; he's a guy who loves drinking and gambling.
Perhaps it was because Lotus and Jade Fragrance heard about these things that they felt Lotus's disappearance was related to them.
I don't know if this will be helpful to your investigation, sir. Perhaps you could investigate this Hu San.
After seeing Granny Fang off, Chen Chu immediately ordered the captain of the Imperial Guard to lead men to arrest Hu San.
In less than half an hour, Hu San was brought back, his body reeking of alcohol, making people want to vomit.
To Shen Chu's surprise, Hu San was not good-looking, with dark skin and darting eyes that showed he was a quick-witted person.
Shen Chu poured a basin of cold water over Hu San, and Hu San sobered up considerably.
After a few more blows, Hu San couldn't take it anymore and confessed everything.
"It was Zhao Shi. It was all Zhao Shi's idea. She befriended Granny Fang from the Mingde Class next door, with the aim of finding a girl who was both beautiful and easy to manipulate."
"Once I find a girl like that, she'll give me her portrait, and then I'll secretly kidnap her and sell her."
Shen Chu was furious. "Where did they go? Where did you make the transaction, and who was your contact?"
Hu San said, "I don't know exactly where it will be sold; only Zhao knows."
She was the one who arranged the transactions and contacted the people. The villain was unaware of this, only knowing that all the captured goods were eventually transported by water from Fengling Ferry.
"My lord, I was forced to do this by Zhao! It wasn't my intention! Please spare my life!"
Hu San was dragged to Manager Zhao's room next door while howling.
When Manager Zhao saw Hu San, his expression changed drastically, and he collapsed to the ground, a look of despair flashing in his eyes.
This time she didn't try to deny it and quickly confessed.
"I had Hu San follow and capture those girls; I hadn't originally planned to capture Bai Hehua."
Unfortunately, on the very day she barged in, Hu San happened to sneak in looking for me and overheard our conversation.
I was afraid she would reveal the secret, so I simply took her on the ship and sold her.
Chen Chu was so angry that she kicked Manager Zhao hard.
"You're worse than an animal! Tell me, where did you sell them to? Who was your contact?"
"The contact person was a sister I knew from my previous employer's family. I don't know where she ended up selling these girls."
My only responsibility was to escort them out of Yangzhou and collect the money; I don't know anything about what happened after that.
Seeing that he couldn't get any more information out of them, Shen Chu ordered his men to separate Hu San and Steward Zhao and detain them in different lockups.
At the same time, someone summoned Prefect Jiang and asked him to send people to investigate the boat traffic at Fengling Ferry.
After hearing the whole story, Prefect Jiang couldn't help but burst into a tirade of curses.
"You filthy creature, worse than pigs and dogs, have done such a heinous thing. Don't worry, Lord Shen, I will immediately send someone to Fengling Ferry to investigate."
As expected, Lord Shen is incredibly efficient and decisive in handling cases, meticulously unraveling complexities.
In just half a day, they solved the case of the missing girl that had plagued Yangzhou for nearly two months. It's truly admirable.
Shen Chu shook her head, "How can this be considered a resolution? Those missing girls haven't been rescued yet."
Prefect Jiang looked embarrassed, then nodded, "What Lord Shen said makes sense, but in any case, at least the case has made a substantial breakthrough."
Now we won't be running around like headless flies anymore. In any case, Lord Shen's speed in solving the case is truly admirable.
Your Excellency, now that the case has been solved, do you think it would be appropriate to move back to the prefectural government office to conduct business?
It's not a good idea to do this in a place like Tianxianglou; I'm afraid the people will gossip.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Chu said, "In that case, let's do as Prefect Jiang says. The prisoner will be escorted back to the prefect's office first."
As for the girls in the building…”
Prefect Jiang quickly replied, "After the questioning is completed, I will have someone make proper arrangements, since they are all girls with pitiful backgrounds."
Seeing that he was quite organized and methodical in his work, Shen Chu entrusted the matter to him.
After a busy day, Tianxianglou was finally emptied and sealed off in the evening.
Shen Chu returned to their rented house and turned to look at the Imperial Guard squad leader who was following her closely.
"You can speak freely here."
From the moment he left Tianxiang Tower, he seemed hesitant to speak.
The Imperial Guard squad leader leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Lord Shen, I have a feeling that something is off about this case."
"Oh? What's wrong? Tell me."
"We sealed off Tianxiang Tower with great fanfare, and the news of the female corpse being dug out of the tower has spread far and wide. There's no way Hu San wouldn't have heard about it."
Logically, he should have tried to escape, but when his subordinates led men to Jixiang Hutong to capture Hu San...
He was drinking and gambling at home with his friends. When he saw us arrive, he turned and ran away, but there was little surprise in his eyes.
Usually, these desperate criminals fight with all their might when they escape, but we caught Hu San without much trouble.
It was as if he had been prepared for us to catch him all along.
Shen Chu listened quietly to him finish speaking, then smiled and praised him, "I didn't expect you to be so observant; you're a cautious person."
The squad leader pulled out a Flying Eagle Guard badge from his person.
"To be honest, Lord Shen, my subordinate Yu Feng was once saved by the Sixth Prince."
Half a month ago, I received a letter from the Sixth Prince, ordering me to secretly investigate the details of the Yangzhou case.
After Lord Shen arrived in Yangzhou, he and his men did their best to assist him.
The Sixth Prince also sent a Flying Eagle Guard badge with the letter, saying that if he completed his mission well, he would be transferred to the Flying Eagle Guard upon his return to the capital.
Yu Feng held up the Flying Eagle Guard's waist token, his eyes gleaming with immense excitement.
"His Highness said that Young Master Liufeng will be responsible for Lord Shen's safety and intelligence gathering, while I will be responsible for the safety inside the prefectural government office. We must ensure that Lord Shen is safe and sound."
Shen Chu's heart trembled, and a complex mix of emotions surged into her mind, almost overwhelming her.
Just two weeks ago, wasn't that when His Majesty had just asked her to go to Yangzhou to investigate the case?
It turns out that Pei Yuan had already made arrangements for her in secret so long ago.
Pei Yuan did so much for her, and what did she do in return?
Yu Feng, oblivious to her unusual expression, continued, "I have been in Yangzhou with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice for nearly a month."
The Vice Minister investigated for a month but found nothing. Coincidentally, he was attacked and fell into a coma on his way back from the yamen that night.
"I believe the Yangzhou case is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Don't you think the investigation has progressed too smoothly today, Lord Shen?"
Shen Chu suddenly smiled.
"It was precisely because things went too smoothly that I agreed to return to the prefectural government office for Prefect Jiang."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com